Do We Have a Plan B?

[DoctorV]

Country

Checked out? No chance. That said, there might be something that needs to be worked out or we will see more nights like tonight. IMO, the funk is not 100% basketball related.

Maybe the funk is just a “crashing back down to Earth” one?

Those two guards have been called the best back court in America for 2 months….

They’ve been on several podcasts and done live interviews where they say the goal is a Natty and they consider themselves the best backcourt in America.

The season starts great, but then it sort of comes crashing down in a quick heap with both playing pretty poorly.
The pressure mounts and they both start to wonder if maybe in ain’t so?

I’m sure there’s more to it, but winning cures all.

They, not just the guards but as a team, aren’t connected and it shows. Those two, along with Oso, are the leaders and are veterans so it’s sad for them and this team.

However, they are veterans now and have chops, character will be revealed and I’m on the side of them finding a way.

[panda]

It’s the Oprah offense - you get a shot, you get a shot, you get a shot.

[Newsdreams]

Newsie

That is a fact.

But, I did know MU had a home game on MLK afternoon.

LOL you're still lost

[MuggsyB]

Country

Checked out? No chance. That said, there might be something that needs to be worked out or we will see more nights like tonight. IMO, the funk is not 100% basketball related.

Ya...I don't see that.  I certainly didn't in Maui. 

[Goose]

TAMU

I’m not a basketball expert, but there are very few players that I would say do not have a big drop off with their non dominant hand. My point, I have heard countless times on how Kolek and Kam have been scouted to force them right more than all of the players combined I have watched for 50+ years.

People notice lefties going to their dominant side more because it is out of the norm and easy to spot. I could not tell you the last time I heard a top level MU player outed for being dominant with their right hand.

I’m not going to debate the topic, but every player has a dominant hand and most have a big drop off with the other hand. I think it is silly and very lazy argument using that as a reason for bad performances. I would say more silly than pointed out Ben Gold tonight.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

TAMU

I’m not a basketball expert, but there are very few players that I would say do not have a big drop off with their non dominant hand. My point, I have heard countless times on how Kolek and Kam have been scouted to force them right more than all of the players combined I have watched for 50+ years.

People notice lefties going to their dominant side more because it is out of the norm and easy to spot. I could not tell you the last time I heard a top level MU player outed for being dominant with their right hand.

I’m not going to debate the topic, but every player has a dominant hand and most have a big drop off with the other hand. I think it is silly and very lazy argument using that as a reason for bad performances. I would say more silly than pointed out Ben Gold tonight.

Yes, most players have a big drop off with their non dominant hand. Kolek and Kam's drop offs are bigger than most.

[Goose]

TAMU

I do not agree on that at all. I think there is a bias because leftie’s just look different on the court. I don’t even know who is a good dominant right hander on the team right now, but their drop off would look similar to me. Now, last year I would say Omax could go right or left and that is why he is making $2.4m and $200-300k.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

TAMU

I do not agree on that at all. I think there is a bias because leftie’s just look different on the court. I don’t even know who is a good dominant right hander on the team right now, but their drop off would look similar to me. Now, last year I would say Omax could go right or left and that is why he is making $2.4m and $200-300k.

Goose, if you don't see the massive difference in effectiveness when Kolek/Kam are forced to their right vs their left, I don't know what to tell you. It's very clearly part of  the scout against us.

[MUfan12]

Goose, if you don't see the massive difference in effectiveness when Kolek/Kam are forced to their right vs their left, I don't know what to tell you. It's very clearly part of  the scout against us.

Agreed. Kam still got to his left in the first half but it was much tougher after the break.

What's more concerning to me is that he won't even drive baseline if he has to dribble with his right.

[GoldenDieners32]

Yeah there's gotta be something else behind the scenes.

anyone check his posts??

[Goose]

TAMU

My point was simple, taking away a guy’s dominant hand is not cutting edge scouting. Of course teams are trying to make going left difficult for them, but they were last year as well. I just don’t think that is as much of the issue as others on here believe.

Also, I do believe that people focus on a leftie differently because that is not the usual dominant side. If a guy is a right handed and only goes right it less noticeable and people are less likely to talk about it.

[willie warrior]

We have watched a team and coach disintegrate and melt down I months time.
There is so much wrong
PG has gone through motions
The team is shooting terribly, particularly Kolek
No elite 3 point shooters. Other elite teams have one or more
No front court physicality
Gold and Joplin are slow footed and can't defend. Shame on whoever on this board said Gold has NBA potential. There is nobody playing with that potential.
Hanging on past accolades doesn't cut it in BEast
Smart getting his ass way outcoached
It is time to hit the Panic Button and make big changes in way team is being run.

[tower912]

Clearly, the solution is to stop shooting  open 3s and to quit driving to the basket.

[rocket surgeon]

"something" happened-

    big drop off of team unity since providence blow out.  granted, we blew out g-town as anyone should, but something must have been revealed after the creighton win that pissed off the "team"  why the "" "" around team?  well, figure it out...who really composes this team?  subsequently, during our sub-par to poor showings during seton hall and now butler, it had to have raised it's ugly head. 

just trying to analyze where the wheels started to come off-me thinks somewhere during st thomas to providence

maybe the NIL checks came out and someone was shorted?

[Viper]

We all know the scouting report on MU.  Pack the paint and take away Tyko and Kam's left hand.  I felt we played almost a perfect 1st half but because we were 1-11 or whatever from distance it psychologically destroyed us in the 2H.  Is there something we can tweak at this juncture in our h-c offense?

5-31 from 3. Imagine that?!!!! 16 freakin %, hey. Hit shots, that’s the tweaking.

[tower912]

In his post game presser, Shaka talked about Kam making 9 3's in the pre game live game practice.    Couldn't miss.     Talked about how TKo had 8 assists and probably could have had a ton more because he made the right play and the shot was missed.   Plan B is to get back to making shots.   

[MuggsyB]

It's really hard to go 3-27 from three.  Especially when at least half of them were wide open and catch and shoots.  After rewatching the first half I saw a team that got essentially every shot they wanted vs a team kicking the ball away and not being able to defend the paint or the 3pt line.

If people really believe Kam and Tyko are 1-17 bad and are incapable of knocking down threes I would say that's garbage.  At the same time we have mentally checked out on several occasions when we have gone brick city.  We have compounded the problem with poor decision making, defensive breakdowns, and a total lack of patience and intelligence. 

What I mean by that is it went from a combined inside/outside attack to launching indiscriminately because at some point they'll go in mindset.  We were psychologically mind fked when we only had a 7 point lead at the half.  In the midst of shooting like were were in a wind tunnel how many times did we play through Oso?  How many times in transition did we take an asinine 1 on 2, 1 on 3, or forced shot when nothing was there?  We had 2 turns in the 1H what did we wind up with 10?

It's not a secret that if TyKo and Kam do find their games we're not beating anyone.  It's on them and Shaka to figure it out and Pronto.  I'm not gonna speculate what might be going on off the court but on the court they have been a dumpster fire of biblical proportions.  Period.  Monday is an opportunity to erase this horror and get back on track. 

[Viper]

It's really hard to go 3-27 from three.  Especially when at least half of them were wide open and catch and shoots.  After rewatching the first half I saw a team that got essentially every shot they wanted vs a team kicking the ball away and not being able to defend the paint or the 3pt line.

If people really believe Kam and Tyko are 1-17 bad and are incapable of knocking down threes I would say that's garbage.  At the same time we have mentally checked out on several occasions when we have gone brick city.  We have compounded the problem with poor decision making, defensive breakdowns, and a total lack of patience and intelligence. 

What I mean by that is it went from a combined inside/outside attack to launching indiscriminately because at some point they'll go in mindset.  We were psychologically mind fked when we only had a 7 point lead at the half.  In the midst of shooting like were were in a wind tunnel how many times did we play through Oso?  How many times in transition did we take an asinine 1 on 2, 1 on 3, or forced shot when nothing was there?  We had 2 turns in the 1H what did we wind up with 10?

It's not a secret that if TyKo and Kam do find their games we're not beating anyone.  It's on them and Shaka to figure it out and Pronto.  I'm not gonna speculate what might be going on off the court but on the court they have been a dumpster fire of biblical proportions.  Period.  Monday is an opportunity to erase this horror and get back on track.

with the team shooting 5-31 from 3, and w/o an inside presence other than Oso, it’s a live/die by the outside shot offense. Shaka can’t control the cold shooting, but I would have been pressing Butler more. Create turnovers, create offense. Butler doesn’t impress me as a team that will beat you with their speed. After blowing Texas back to Austin, I never saw any of this coming.

[tower912]

Press with a 6 man rotation?

[NCMUFan]

Spectrum problems from the storm on Tuesday.  Unable to get the game.
Got caught up on sleep.
I have complete confidence you guys will figure it out for Shaka and the team.

[tower912]

Going forward, Tre and Zaide are going to play.  It would be nice to see them play with the same agressiveness and confidence that Stevie and Kam, and then Chase and Sean, showed as freshmen.   Opportunities are there.   
    The veterans need to see shots go in.   As soon as that happens, the fog will lift and the dominoes will fall.  No one can make that happen.  But shooting slumps don't end by not taking open looks.

[MUfan12]

Press with a 6 man rotation?

Also hard to set a press when you miss everything.

[tower912]

Indeed.

[MuggsyB]

with the team shooting 5-31 from 3, and w/o an inside presence other than Oso, it’s a live/die by the outside shot offense. Shaka can’t control the cold shooting, but I would have been pressing Butler more. Create turnovers, create offense. Butler doesn’t impress me as a team that will beat you with their speed. After blowing Texas back to Austin, I never saw any of this coming.

We can't press with 2 rotational players out.  We were 3-27 with the game in range, I don't even count the 2 we hit late.  I also did not foresee this at all.  As Shaka stated adversity makes you stronger but we have a hell of a lot of work to do. 

[ATL MU Warrior]

As Tower said, the vets need to see the ball go in a few times.  Hope it happens soon.  What is the alternative?  Pass the ball around aimlessly for 20-25 seconds until somebody is forced to wildly drive to the hoop or shoot it?  That is disaster. 

Our offense and this team is now a known quantity.  Coaches have adjusted and are taking away some of the things we were doing last year that were so beautiful to watch and are making it ugly as sin.  There is no play that can be designed or a different look that we can give that will matter unless we can start shooting better.

The guys are in their heads right now and they are pressing instead of just playing. They haven’t quit. They are still playing hard, but confidence is missing and it’s clearly impacting our entire offensive scheme and of course our shooting.

How does Shaka and staff fix it?  Don’t know.